A Feast of Poisons: A Kathryn Swinbrooke Mystery

Kathryn and her new husband Colum are spending their honeymoon at the manor of Lord Henry, naturally amidst murders. On the national front, the French are trying to keep King Edward from their shores and keep Henry Tudor safe. Locally, the village of Walmer has a series of deaths by poison. Kathryn uses logic to catch the murderers. The author deftly weaves history and social life of the middle ages into an intricate plotted mystery. If you like Candace Robb's Owen Archer mysteries this is one you will want to read. The plot is strong, the characters multi-faceted, and a very strong heroine.

In the village of Walmer on the Kent coast, the blacksmith and his wife both die at the same time of different poisons administered seperately. How could this have happened? Katherine Swinbrooke, physician, apothecary and reluctant sleuth, is called in to find out. Other mysterious things have happened in Walmer, the death, apparently an accident, of the wife of Sir Henry Beauchamp, and the murder of a group of Lancastrian supporters. Can Katherine sort it all out? Do you doubt it for a moment. Fans of Katherine will be relieved to know that she has finally married her hunky Irish boyfriend Colum Murtagh, and is enjoying married life very much. Inbetween solving murders, Colum lures her back to bed whenever he can. As with all the books in this series, there are enjoyable and vivivd pictures of medieval life, and a host of interesting supporting characters. I feel that there are perhaps too many murders in this one, two or three per mystery is enough I think, but Katherine can cope with it. I would just like to comment on the previous reviewer who refers to Kathereine as an independent women at a time when women were just the chattles of their menfolk. In fact there was no shortage of independent women in the Middle Ages, they were far les chattels then than they became in later centuries. Anyway, this is a fun series and kathereine is a likeable heroine, and I am so glad she has got Colum at last!

In 1472, Canterbury physician Kathryn Swinbrooke and her bridegroom Colum Murtagh are doing the King's business in the English village of Walmer, but also spending time alone in a place of their choice. Lord Henry is a close confident of King Edward IV and he has invited three of the French King's advisors to his manor house to see if they can agree to terms for a peace treaty between the two countries. Colum and Kathryn are investigating a claim that Lord Henry killed his wife.In Walmer, someone is poisoning the villagers who killed the three Lancaster supporters who came to the village after the Yorkists won the war. None of the victims are innocent, most are criminals but Kathryn knows murder is illegal no matter the motive. She investigates, but almost gets herself killed by an archer with a deadly arrow. The murders in the village spread to the manor house where one of the French delegates is poisoned. To avoid a possible war between the two countries, Kathryn uses her skills to identify who is behind the Walmer murders. Now she just has to live long enough to prove it.Fans of Sharon Kay Penman and Roberta Gellis will appreciate the storytelling abilities of C.L. Grace and the meticulous research that found its way into the plot, making it an entertaining as well as educational reading experience. The protagonist is a strong willed independent in an era when females were considered chattel of their men folks. C.L. Grace makes the aftermath of the War of the Roses come alive to appreciative readers.Harriet Klausner